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Success Story

CleanSlate UV

10/27/2016

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) affect over 200,000 patients in Canada each year, and more than 8,000 of these patients die as a result. Mobile devices – like smartphones, tablets and non-critical medical devices, are a major contamination risk in hospitals. One in four are contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, meaning they carry bacteria and undermine hand hygiene. Disinfectant wipes, the current best practice, harm devices and are prone to human error.

CleanSlate UV has developed an innovative solution that uses UV-C light to rapidly sanitize cell phones, tablets and other devices. The CleanSlate Sanitizer kills at least 99.99% of HAIs, such as MRSA, VRE and C. difficile in 30 seconds. It causes no damage to electronic screens and requires no training to use. The system also tracks which devices are cleaned to ensure compliance with sanitization protocols.

The company was formed in 2014 when the co-founders attended the Queen’s Innovation Connector Summer Initiative. In 2015, the team competed against 11,000 other applicants to win the top prize of $500,000 from 43North, an international pitch competition. OCE supported CleanSlate UV in 2016 through the Market Readiness Program, which accelerated the development of the start-up’s second-generation product. With OCE’s help, the team was able to double the initial number of devices produced, giving them invaluable feedback from new pilot projects and market traction for the official product launch.

The CleanSlate UV Sanitizer launched in September 2016 and is currently used in hospitals in Toronto, Buffalo and New York City. Additionally, the product has been quickly adopted into food processing facilities and corporate campuses where there are concerns about bacterial contamination, with new deployments underway in Houston and New Zealand.

Return on Innovation

CleanSlate UV currently has nine full-time employees and anticipates growing to 19 next year

The team solidified a partnership with Mississauga-based company C2P to keep manufacturing of the CleanSlate UV Sanitizer in Canada